Think the Audi RS Q3 is the only guest at the hyper compact SUV party? Think again, as the Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG is about to gate-crash. Coming hot on the heels of the regular GLA the AMG version has just been unveiled at the LA Auto Show in thinly veiled 'concept' guise.
Exterior
You will have to excuse the wild looks of the concept, as it looks too boorish for a car that wears the three pointed star, but even in more understated shades we can see the GLA 45 AMG is likely to be a looker. Following on from where the A and CLA 45 models left off. Muscular would probably be the best word to describe it and it is clearly evident that the AMG is going to be more 'in-your-face' than its RS-badged rival. AMG-specific bumpers are offset by a high-gloss black splitter at the front with the bumper also housing large air intakes to feed air to the engine behind.
The 21-inch matt black AMG wheels wear a red rim, a colour carried over through the grille and also as a detail line along the flanks where a '45'-numbered wrap hints at AMG's motorsport heritage.
Out back a diffuser houses a set of double-barrel rectangular AMG sports exhaust pipes complete with active flaps for a more throaty sound.
Mechanicals
Not that the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine has needed much help in that regard previously. Unlike its Audi rival, which uses a 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine that produces 306hp, the Mercedes has to make to with a four-pot, but thanks to AMG black magic it is the most powerful four-cylinder engine in the world, with 360hp and 450Nm of torque on tap.
No surprise then that the GLA 45 AMG utilises Mercedes 4Matic all-wheel drive system to harness the power and an AMG high-performance braking system with red brake callipers to rein it in when required.
Pin your foot to the floor and the GLA 45 AMG will hit 100km/h in under five seconds, yet Mercedes-Benz says that, thanks to the AMG SpeedShift DCT seven-speed sports transmission it offers low fuel consumption and emissions. No figures are quoted for either of these so we will have to take Mercedes-Benz's word for it for the moment.
Anything else?
"With the Concept GLA 45 AMG, we are setting a stake firmly in the ground of the strongly growing market segment of compact SUVs," said Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. "Our customers - a young target group who set great store by styling, dynamism and independence - can now start looking forward to a dynamic high-performance car."
"The most powerful four-cylinder engine in the world and the AMG Performance 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system add up to make the Concept GLA 45 AMG a unique proposition."